Residents living in a section of North Bergen previously not included in the township’s Residential Parking Permits (RPP) program now must purchase permits in order to park there, as of Feb. 1.

The Parking Authority hopes the new parking rules in Zone 3 will discourage commuters from parking in North Bergen and leaving their vehicles behind. Zone 3 is bordered by 54th Street to the south, Kennedy Boulevard to the east, West Side Avenue on the west, and portions of 72nd Street and 71st Street to the north.

For at least the month of February, notices will be placed on the windshields of cars lacking permits, warning drivers of the new rules and the $40 fine for violating them. According to Parking Authority Executive Director Robert Baselice, the warning period may be extended to March to give residents time to adjust to the new rules.

“This is an expansion,” said Baselice. “We’re interested in making sure that residents get the permits, not interested in giving people tickets.”

He noted, “We have a two-hour limit from 7 a.m. until 1 p.m. From 1 p.m. until 1 a.m. anyone can park there for any amount of time, so if you have [visitors] coming over it’s not an issue. From 1 a.m. until 7 a.m. you have to have a permit or you can’t park in the street.”

The authority plans to extend the RPP program to the rest of the township.

“We’re going to be doing the remainder of the town, hopefully by the end of this year,” said Baselice.

New residential parking permit zone

Residents were alerted to the parking changes through flyers and mail. The $15 permit will last three years and expire on Jan. 31, 2016. Residents can mail in their information to the Parking Authority office at 4225 Bergen Turnpike and simply pick up their permit. Payments accepted are money orders, check and cash is only accepted at the Parking Authority office.

For a residential parking permit application either visit http://nbpaonline.org/images/RPP_Application_Online_2012_distributed_0001.pdf or the Parking Authority.

Residents who drive company vehicles that have out-of-state license plates will also be able to obtain a permit.

“If they bring a letter from their company stating they have a company-owned vehicle but they have two utility bills with their license, we then issue them a residential permit because they still are a resident, they just aren’t using a registered New Jersey car,” said Baselice.

The RPP ordinance dates back to 2001 and was enacted to alleviate the hardship experienced by residents in obtaining on-street parking, especially overnight.

Baselice outlined the zones that now require a parking permit.

“Currently we run from 50th Street to 44th Street,” said Baselice. “We jump over the racetrack area, which is from 70th Street to the end of North Bergen. From the east side of Kennedy Boulevard to Boulevard East down to Bulls Ferry Road and down to River Road.”

For further information, visit nbpaonline.org or the North Bergen Parking Authority office at 4225 Bergen Turnpike.

Applying the revenue

A portion of the revenue obtained from permit fees goes towards building parking lots. Currently there are nine lots operated by the Parking Authority and two more will be added this year. The next lot will be on 51st Street between Kennedy Boulevard and Tonnelle Avenue, but an exact date for its opening wasn’t available.

“Our goal is to politely and courteously help the public,” said Baselice. “We try to achieve a parking solution for every situation.”